Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-09-10
CRACK TENNIS PLAYERS.
The Men who are ATTRACTING Attention
this Year.

| this Year.
| CHAMPION SEARS AND HIS TWIN BROTHERS-RIG VAN
RENssELAER AND orHRR FAMOUS RACQUET SWING
ERs-THEIR STYLE OF PLAY.
From the Springfield Republican.
| Among the players this year there Is smaller
proportion than usual of new Names and popular
is OF course the hero of the court as beseems the
winner OF the American championship for SIX sue
| cessive years. He does not look Ike hero, but
| like an amiable, jolly, fair-complexioned young
| man Of twenty-six, rather short, and stout and
round, his eyes supplemented by glasses. He is
| by no means an ideal athlete In appearance but
when be dons his snug tennis garb and begins
to chase the bail, or, more accurately to
| send his opponent chasing 1t, he is as
| nimble and light-fOoted as Mercury. He
| has a comical habit OF seemingly holding
the end OF his tongue between his teeth, as q
baseball catcher does piece OF rubber, giving his
lace SATISFIED expression, which Olten ext0rtS the
query, "IS he as cOnceiJed as he loOks?" This can
be categOcally Denied for, although after bis six
successive victories he can be but aware that he
creetly, and is good.natured and agreeable, and
does not assume on the lawn the imperial airs at
trlbuted to Renshaw, the English champion. But
| the players who draw the most admiration and
sympathy from the ladies at least are his younger
brothers. the 'SearS Twins" as they are popularity
called. Twins they are, straight tall, slim strip
| Often see. Their smooth cheeks are as brown as
| the sun ana the salt breezeS OF Nahant can make
them, and so much alike are they that old friends
| often cannot distinguish them. At recent tour
nament, where they CHANGED to play against each
other, their brother had them wear caps OF differ
ent stripes, and announced to the puzzled audi
ence their Identity. They always play together as
partners In the double matches, and show the re-
suits OF their fraterna instruction by playing sim
gularly gracef, and correct and withal so strong,
That they are counted sure to put their brother to
Another youhgster becoming prominent, and
even younger than the Sears twins, is their cousin,
O. a. Shaw, jr a lad OF tall, stalwart frame, still
pleasing. Intelligent face and modest ways. He
swings his racquet in his left hand with such a
lree and strong yet gracefully careless and nom
chalant stroke as to draw constant applause and
surprise, and, though he az yet has not been a
winner, he shows such latent capacity as to make
the veterans fear him, But the real cracks just
now are still reckOned among the older players,
and the experts will tell you that the winner (next
70 Sears) is surely one Of fve-TaylOr, SlOcum,
Beekman, Clark or Brinley-and many will limit
IL still further to the first three. familiar and
picturesque figure is missing this year; one who
was rather the ideal OF the earlier years Of tennis
That Is Van Rensselaer,, OF the Young America
Club OF Philadelphia the crack cricket club OF the
country, and which was one of the first to intro
duce tennis. He was man Of magnificent ply
Slque, tall, full prOpOrtiOned, with handsome,
swarthy face and long black moustache-a noble
specimen OF full development. In his dark knick-
differing a little from the conventional tennis
player, as he would announce the score In reso-
nant bass pitched about an octave below the stan.
You would think how grandly he would personate
II am Pirate King" or any grandee OF nature.
He was, until recently, one or the crack players,
and his serve, which seemed to propel the bali
from point about ten feet above the ground
straight into his adversarys court with the speed
and slant OF tobOggan, was the marvel and
supposed to win for him the good will OF the
ladies' and his rather chivalrOus courtesy clinched
MS popularity among the players. But at New
port three years ago his prestige was broken. He
drew as opponent Taylor, then only known as q
promising young player and the Harvard cham
pion, very short, round, chubby youth, with
rosy cheeks and rather cherubic cOuntenance who
looked as II he would be but plump mOuthful for
his great antagonist, and every one expected to
see him ground to the earth at once; but in star
Ing aStOniShment the crowd saw the phenomenal
serves Of the giant back with the coolest pre-
cision, and his deadly smashes returned again and
again until he seemed quite diSheartened and
worn out, and Succumbed to his diminutive an
tagOn1St. Taylor has since won the Newport tour
nainent once, and is now rated among the very
best. He plays in an apparently careless way,
and 1t often seems as II by his listlessness he
would not reach ball in time, but his racquet,
pendulOus swing always gets there Just in the
nick OF time, and away flies the ball to some un.
protected corner. His victory over Dwight last
year will rank as classic, though 1t was quite as
much test OF endurance as OF skill.
The mention OF DR.. Dwight reminds me that any
gossip about tennis would be Signally unjust that
failed to acknowledge its indebtedness to him He
is now abroad, but has done more than any one in
America for the game. Very short, Slight almost
for ne graduated at Harvard in "a to see him YOU
would never suspect his cminence in any branch
ing matter: He has made a study science, al
most a profession OF the game, and though physi-
clan seems for years TO have directed his time and
energy to this pursuit. Probably he has mastered
the technique OF the game better than any other
American, and has put more invention, ingenuity,
ana brain force into It than any Of his rivals 1t
Is due largely to his tuition and practice that
Sears, his younger neighbor and friend. has
attained his rank. He has played largely in Eng
tournaments, and that In a land where tourna.
mentS are witnessed by thousands like our ball
matches, and where contestants flock from all
over the country. His winters he has frequently
spent In the south Of France with the English
CHI impiOnS. In order to continue practice In the
open an, and thus he has acquired familiarity
with all the science and possibilities OF the game
and this knowledge he has thoughtfully revolved
In an acute and persistent mine, and brought
players are to-day profiting by his experience
This may seem rather trifling and waste of time
and faculties but to thoroughly master anything
Is commemorate, and the game of tennis certainly
owes more OF its present standing here to Dr.
Dwight than TO any other person.
na 9 oI t Iae 1ar who has stood in
phia He graduated at Harvard several wears
ago. and with his brother was the leading rival of
daShing, vigorous game, smashing hard and
always giving the impression that he ts fuiI Of
s. an % w most contest every point
single. Those who saw the contest between him
and his brother and Knapp and ThOrne the Yale
champions, at Newport in "a, when the Clark
Drothers played the new service line game which
they had just brought from England while the
Yale men followed the Old style OF one forward
and one back, saw as exciting tennis as is often
witnessed. very different player is Brinley. the
Trinity college champion. who won at Newport
two years ago. Left-handed, he makes at times
phenomenal strokes, hitting hard and placing Ar.
curately but II one can judge from Appearances
his temper units him for the very first rank. he
seems TOO mecurial, volatile, ehangeable to do
the steady unvarytng work necessary for uniform
success, and though at times he can beat almost
forsaken him, and he falls an easy prev to mmcb
interior players. When In his best form he is a
prodigy.
The two who are to-day looked upon az probable
winners OF the tournament are Beekman and SO
cum, ana the lot OF drawing has Singularly and
most unfortunately decreed that they should
meet In the very first round. The former was the
man, Indicates, he Is young scion of an Old New
York family, fineH built, smooth-faced, bright
eyed handsome fellow, playing always with
grace and ease, and with that supple turn OF the
wrist which the example and precept OF Tommy
Pettitt have made the model or fashionable play
Siocum Is an older man, graduated at Yale several
years ago. He Is from Brooklyn, son OF Gen
player rather slowly by persistent practIce. but
this year he has had an amazing series OF UNI
broken victories, and his side6oard must be
adorned with choice collection of mugs and brio
a-brac, the trophies OF his racquet He plays with
great apparent ease, and perhA ps his best disiDc-
ion is that he makes all kinds OF strikes
equally well. He can play back, or at the net.
checks the game OF his opponent. He seldom
SmaSneS. but plays a safe conSarv oftyo cromo